Latin America - a civilization in transition viewed from the angle of the emotions.

Latin America is a civilization in transition, a kind of 'in-between', as Rafael López-Pedraza would coin the expression: it is associated not only with various levels of pre-existing consciousness, but also with the emotional life of its inhabitants. This Latin American baroque speaks not only of the cultural complexes which pertain to all of the peoples in this vast territory, but also of why certain emotions - cruelty, intolerance, anxiety, sadness, resentment, joy, rage, envy, suffering, fear, indignation, jealousy, sorrow and shame, to name a few - move these complexes and acquire certain shades in each region and in each inhabitant. Let us remember the relationship that Jung establishes between the emotions and the complexes. For him, although the emotions are the same in their content, they cluster in the complexes of each individual or collective in such a specific, automatic, spontaneous and involuntary way that they possess their own energy, and no one can ignore them. Taking into account these notions of emotion and complex, we analyze some emotions proposed by López-Pedraza (2008) in his book, Emotions: A List, to draw a picture of the collective emotions that predominate among Latin Americans.

L'Amérique Latine est une civilisation en transition, une sorte d' « entre-deux ¼, selon l'expression de Rafael Lopez Pedraza, associée non seulement avec différents niveaux de conscience préexistants, mais aussi avec la vie émotionnelle de ses habitants. Ce « baroque ¼ Latino-Américain évoque non seulement des complexes culturels qui se rapportent à tous les peuples de ce vaste territoire, mais aussi pourquoi certaines émotions - la cruauté, l'intolérance, l'angoisse, la tristesse, la rancœur, la joie, la rage, l'envie, la souffrance, la peur, l'indignation, la jalousie, le chagrin et la honte, pour n'en citer que quelques-unes - animent ces complexes et acquièrent certaines teintes dans chaque région et chaque habitant. Souvenons-nous de la relation que Jung établit entre les émotions et les complexes. Pour lui, bien que les émotions soient les mêmes dans leur contenu, elles se groupent en « clusters ¼ dans les complexes de chaque individu ou collectif d'une manière spécifique, automatique, spontanée et involontaire. Elles possèdent leur propre énergie, et personne ne peut les ignorer. Prenant en compte ces notions d'émotion et de complexe, nous analysons quelques émotions proposées par López-Pedraza dans son livre « Emotions: a List ¼, afin de faire un tableau des émotions collectives qui prédominent chez les Latino-Américains.

Latinoamérica es una civilización en transición, una suerte de 'in between', como acuñaría Rafael López Pedraza, estando asociada no solo a los diversos niveles de consciencia preexistentes sino a la vida emocional de sus habitantes. Ese barroco latinoamericano que somos habla no sólo de los complejos culturales que nos atañen a todos en este vasto territorio, sino también de por qué ciertas emociones -la crueldad, la intolerancia, la ansiedad, la tristeza, el resentimiento, la alegría, la rabia, la envidia, el sufrimiento, el miedo, la indignación, los celos, el duelo y la vergüenza, por nombrar algunas--, mueven esas complejidades y adquieren tintes particulares en cada región y en cada habitante. Recordemos la relación que Jung establece entre las emociones y los complejos. Para él, aunque las emociones son iguales en su contenido se constelan en los complejos de cada individuo o colectividad de manera tan particular, automática, espontánea e involuntaria que poseen su propia energía y nadie puede ser indiferente ante ellas. Teniendo en cuenta estas nociones de emoción y complejo quisiéramos analizar algunas emociones propuestas por López Pedraza en su libro Emociones: una lista, para hacernos una imagen de emociones colectivas que predominan entre nosotros los latinoamericanos.

A América Latina é uma civilização em transição, uma espécie de "intermediária", como Rafael López-Pedraza cunharia a expressão: está associada não apenas a vários níveis de consciência pré-existente, mas também à vida emocional de seus habitantes. Este barroco latino-americano fala não apenas dos complexos culturais que pertencem a todos os povos deste vasto território, mas também de por que certas emoções - crueldade, intolerância, ansiedade, tristeza, ressentimento, alegria, raiva, inveja, sofrimento, medo, indignação, ciúme, tristeza e vergonha, para citar alguns - movem esses complexos e adquirem certos tons em cada região. Lembremo-nos da relação que Jung estabelece entre as emoções e os complexos, para ele, embora as emoções sejam as mesmas em seu conteúdo, elas se agrupam nos complexos de cada indivíduo ou coletivo de maneira tão específica, automática, espontânea e involuntária que possuem sua própria energia, e ninguém pode ignorá-las. Levando em consideração essas noções de emoção e complexidade, analisamos algumas emoções propostas por López-Pedraza em seu libro Emoções: uma Lista, para traçar um quadro de emoções coletivas que predominam entre os latino-americanos.

Awareness of memory deficits is useful to distinguish between depression and mild cognitive impairment in the elderly

Objective: To investigate whether the level of awareness of memory deficits is useful for discriminating between major depressive disorder (MDD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the elderly. Methods: Sixty-three consecutively referred patients (38 women and 25 men) with memory concerns comprising three groups (clinical control, MDD and MCI) underwent a memory test (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test [RAVLT]) and completed the Memory Assessment Complaints-Questionnaire (MAC-Q). Level of awareness was estimated by the difference between the MAC-Q score and the score on the fifth presentation of the RAVLT. Memory performance, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale [GDS]) were also assessed. Results: The control (n=25), MDD (n=16), and MCI (n=22) groups were similar in age, educational level, and MMSE (p > 0.05). Among the groups, the MDD group had the most memory complaints, whereas the MCI group had the worst objective memory performance. Level of awareness was capable of discriminating between MDD and MCI (p < 0.05), but not between MDD and clinical controls (p > 0.05). MDD subjects tended to underestimate their memory functioning as compared to controls (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Level of awareness of memory deficits was significantly useful to discriminate between MCI and MDD, which is a common difficulty faced by clinicians. Future studies with larger samples are needed to confirm these findings.